36 SPECIAL CATTLE THERAPY 



with the extent of the lesions produced, and the or- 

 gans involved. 



The usual history in eases due to the action of for- 

 eign bodies is that the cow has been suffering from 

 inappetence for a long time. For weeks she has not 

 been a hearty eater and she looks unthrifty. At 

 times she has had the appearance of a cow suffering 

 dull pains; she stands almost immovable for hours. 

 The expression of the countenance is that described 

 as '^haggard" or ''anxious"; she frequently grinds 

 her teeth. At other times she has had slightly colicky 

 pains. This covers the general initial symptoms in 

 all cases. Now come special symptoms, varying from 

 now on with the course pursued by the object in its 

 movement within the body. 



When the object penetrates and severely injures 

 the peritoneum, the special symptoms are those of 

 peritonitis, with possibly perforation of the abdominal 

 wall and the liberation of the object. 



When the liver has been injured seriously by the 

 object the symptoms do not vary from those occur- 

 ring when the object injures the heart. We find in 

 either instance a set of symptoms which duplicate 

 almost entirely those symptoms seen in infection with 

 Distoma hepaticum. The symptoms due to foreign 

 bodies, however, develop more gradually and persist 

 for a greater length of time. Another point of dif- 

 ferentiation lies in the color of the fluid in the drop- 

 sical swellings; that found in cases of infection with 

 the liver fluke is clear as water. The fluid contained 

 in the dropsical swellings caused by injuries to the 

 liver and heart from foreign bodies is either yellowish 

 or tinged with blood. Also, in the latter cases, the 

 hide does not peel off as in liver rot. 



